"Two Roads to Waterloo." Topic
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Tango01 | 22 May 2015 9:48 p.m. PST |
"A matter of three lost hours would underpin the rest of the campaign. Contrary to popular belief there was not really a pause in the fighting the day after the twin, almost unanimous battles at Ligny and Quatre Bras, rather a lull or lessening of the action occurred between 11pm and next midday. The fighting did not so much stop, it merely reduced in its intensity. However the consequence of that day, leading as a it did from the dramatic events of the day before all lead towards the final penultimate act. A maid opening the curtains of Lady Dalrymple Hamilton's boudoir on the 15th of June had seen the Duke of Wellington leaving Brussels. "There he goes God bless him" she told her mistress naively "And he won't return till he's King of France". It just so happened that almost three days after that glowing prediction, late on the night of the 17th at an inn called the "King of Spain", Wellington was preparing for the eventuality of having to return to the city and make do with just his Dukedom, still less a little blessing. That he was able to even do this much as due to the inactivity of Marshal Ney, and the skill of the Earl of Uxbridge. At daylight the French army at Ligny awoke having spent what must have been an uncomfortable night in the field, possibly covered with over 24,000 casualties. Already the two day old campaign had cost an estimated total of over 35,000 men, and no meaningful gain had been achieved by either side. Allied casualties were even now pouring into Brussels by the Porte de Namur. However Napoleon's plan was still largely intact. Having knocked the Prussians for six, there was a slight chance he could now perhaps swing west and crush Wellington between himself and Ney, or at very least cause some damage. Orders had gone out to Ney to move once more against Quatre Bras and press the allied vanguard, which would with any luck still be at the crossroads, if Ney moved quickly he could pin Wellington to his ground…" Full text here. link Amicalement Armand |
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